Fashion

FRAGs and FRAGments From The Last Fortnight

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Val the Cookie Queen

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Felicitations APJ

It´s been bloody freezing here. Between like 1°c and 4°c. Snow flurries, and peach and cherry blossoms hanging on for dear life. It has at least given me the chance to get back to a proper gym routine. This week I will start spinning classes again and I am terrified. Been working out to The Doors, The Lumineers and the Easy Rider soundtrack.

FRAGs Worn

Frederic Malle Le Parfum de Therese. Sunny, tangy, sweet, dry and earthy. It´s a fascinating scent and makes me feel very grownup. Graceful and sophisticated.
Hermès Galop d’Hermès. Sunrise to sunset. A sparkly golden astringent opening, quince and saffron, a bright rose, and a long slow dry down to a dusky copper gold leather base.

Vero Profumo Naja. A green and floral tobacco. A blonde tobacco perfume, highlighted with neroli and bergamot, honeyed linden, and flecked with osmanthus.
Ormonde Jayne Tolu. Sumptuous but not overpowering. Subtly opulent. A vibrant herbal opening, contrasting beautifully with the rich amber heart. Resinous, warm and comforting.

FRAGments

B.blondeswunder stole my Portrait of a Lady for the Easter weekend away with the family of her boyfriend. (Note that they live in the boonies of Austria.) She applied four spritzes. Her boyfriend asked if she was wearing something new. To which she replied “Yep. Do you like it?” He replied “It might take me some time to get used to it.” Hahahahahahahahaha. Death by PoaL. I also came across a picture of MY Galop and MY cat on HER Instagram Story. I may have to lock my perfume wardrobe.

B.londesuwnder also practiced her drag make up technique on NoFear Chris, her long suffering Hero Dad.

BJTG (my seldom featured son) had a tattoo, not yet healed.

Great Grandmother turned 101.

A dear friend had a mild stroke. Total shit. Life is not always like it seems in the blogs.

Keep on truckin’
Bussis
CQ

32 Venenum by Daphne Bugey for L`Artisan Perfumer 2016

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Portia

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Hey crew,

I was in the city today and stopped by to sniff stuff. I started chatting to a VERY sexy SA in Myer called Louis. Seriously DROP DEAD GORGEOUS! Anyway we chatted about what I should try, I was all blasé, tried everything you have and then he pointed out the L’Artisan prive range. I totally ignored them when they came out but he insisted so…

32 Venenum by L`Artisan Perfumer 2016

32 Venenum by Daphne Bugey

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords;
Bread, Milk, Chai tea, Ceylonese sandalwood, Rice

Yep, smells good.

Chai? Yes. Milk, Yes. Rice? Maybe? Sandalwood, oH YES!

Should have bought it on the spot. Will now have to go back. Hopefully Louis will be there so I can be the creepy old gay. He doesn’t look outraged though, just chuffed.

 

Three spritzes on my arm and the train ride home was blissful. I’m now at home and still loving its toasty goodness. YUM

Libertine  says this: A new world is opened up. Would it be a forest of sandalwood where rice is steamed while drinking spicy chai or a wide golden field of grains? Venenum awakens memories and souvenirs of India without dwelling upon it. It oscillates between the scent of hot freshly made bread, milky clouds, spicy tea and smooth sandalwood. No matter where Daphné Bugey has decided to make us travel, the sensation is as gentle as it is enveloping. This venin is so flirtatious that it teases.

I do have to tell you though that it does remind me of something I can’t place. I think they’ve used an ingredient that’s also in Aether Methaldone and I am reading it loud and clear.

Further reading: Candy Perfume Boy
Libertine Parfumerie has $299/75ml with FREE Australian Postage
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3.60/0.5ml

Did you try it yet?
Portia xxx

 

Brit Woman by Nathalie Gracia-Cetto for Burberry 2003

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Portia

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Hello Designer Frag Fans,

Recently Burberry Brit woman has received a bottle facelift. It spurred me to grab one of the older EdP bottles because I have always thought they looked cool and fun. Directly below is the new bottle and yes, I think it’s WAY more finished, luxe and modern but the old one is something I’ve liked for a long time so I prefer to have it in my collection.

I have no idea whether the new bottle points towards a reformulation or if burberry is just bringing the bottle more in line with current trends, and making it look more desirable. Whatever, I’m writing about the juice in the old bottle that you see below.

Brit Woman by Burberry 2003

Brit Woman by Nathalie Gracia-Cetto

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top:  Iced pear, Italian lime, Green almond
Heart: Sugared almond, White peony
Base: Amber, Mahogany, Vanilla

The pear is just shy of ripe and the lime tar but not mouth puckeringly so. Green almond? Definitely almond but not so green, it’s the smell of cracking an almond shell open to find the delicious, creamy nut beneath. Don’t get me wrong Brit woman is sweet from the outset but it seems like a sweetness contained. Even when the sugared almonds come in it’s not tooth rottingly sweet or a bakery scent. There is a toastedness that keeps Brit interesting, a wetness that gives a fresh edge.

The base is quite pretty, a very comfortable, smooth vanilla. It’s cool, dry, quite austere compared to todays designer offerings and flanked perfectly by almonds and woodsiness. I get soft hints of dried, used coffee grounds too. Maybe it’s my imagination but I get the smell every wear.

Flickr

Who can wear and where would they? Burberry Brit Woman is super comfy. It doesn’t screech, isn’t sickly sweet and has a moderate sillage for the first hour ore so. Once the party is over though the soft warm hum of dry down persists for hours and hours. I see it as a reasonably priced go to for both sexes. Though ostensibly aimed at the women it smells really good on me, and I think Jin could rock it too.

I’ve been wearing it layered with the extrait. I smell really good.

Further reading: Now Smell This
FragranceNet has 50ml/$25
My Perfume Samples has samples starting at $2/ml

Which bottle do you prefer? Have you ever worn Brit?
Portia xx

Bois d’Oud GIVEAWAY WINNERS

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Portia

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Hey crew,

Thanks so much to Louis from Detail for his generosity. Very excited to be doing a giveaway of this lovely juice.
Portia xxx

Bois d’Oud GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Agarwood (oud), bergamot, labdanum
Heart: Saffron, cedar
Base: Tobacco, agarwood (oud), cedar, patchouli

Detaille has €90/50ml

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 2 winners who will receive:
1 x 10ml decant of Bois d’Oud by Detaille
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Wednesday 19th April 2017 10pm Australian EdsT
Winners were chosen by random.org

JackieB

Fanny

The winners will have till Wednesday 26th April 2017 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit

Blossom Love by Nathalie Lorson + Elise Bénat for Amouage 2017

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

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Erica Golding

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Hello everyone!

Have you ever been graced with a sample that you may never have had the chance nor motivation to try otherwise? Tonight, I am sampling a gorgeous decant of a brand new release, thanks to a dear friend’s incredible generosity and boundless kindness!!

Blossom Love by Amouage 2017

Blossom Love by Nathalie Lorson + Elise Bénat

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Cherry nectar, Rose liqueur
Heart: Ylang-ylang, Amaretto accord, Vanilla
Base: Tonka bean, Sandalwood, Cashmeran

Amouage Blossom Love definitely goes beyond the boundaries you may expect a pink floral to reside within. I can honestly say that I do sense every note disclosed, and they harmonize as beautifully as you may expect – but don’t be fooled, Blossom Love is not innocent nor simple! There is a twist!

WikiCommons

The opening shimmers with the fresh, sweetly clean cherry blossom, while the luscious juicy-bright glow of the rose liquor hints at depths to come. On my skin, the note that makes this composition truly worthy of the name Amouage is the almond liqueur (amaretto accord). This amaretto features a strange bitterness that collides violently with the tropical ylang ylang, creating a storm front crackling with electric charge. The sonorous distant thunder that follows stays smooth and mellow, as the base notes vibrate a bit higher and feel more like middle notes. Velvety musk and honeyed tonka bean soften the edges, while the vanilla takes time to come forward.

Overall, on me, the amaretto note dominates even the blinding light of the jubilant, vibrant cherry blossoms. The effect is so weird and unexpected and fascinating, I just can’t stop inhaling this incredible creation!

WikiCommons

Further reading: Perfume Posse
Libertine Parfumerie has the Amouage range
Amouage has £260/100ml

What is the latest sample you’ve come across that completely took you off guard and blew your expectations into the water?

Until next time, be well and stay scented!

-Erica

Fat Electrician by Antoine Maisondieu for Etat Libre d’Orange 2009

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 16 Comments

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TinaG

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Hi APJ!

Fat Electrician has been such a fun fragrance to try! A friend kindly gave me a sample which was used up oh-too quickly, and to be honest the name of it always reminds me of Portia and Jin – I keep thinking back to Portia’s article a few years ago which made me laugh. Love those guys. So, I’d heard good things about it but hadn’t expected that WOW factor to hit immediately and it was fabulous!

Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Myrrh, Chestnut cream, Olive leaf, Opoponax, Vanilla, Vetiver

Fat Electrician opens dry and woody with a blast of sweetness at the same time, just so weird. I really wasn’t expecting a ‘vetiver’ fragrance to have a gourmand aspect to it but a sticky vanilla definitely shines through. It is horizontally layered and airy, the dryness of the vetiver is all in the sillage but close to my skin the vanilla softly oozes.

After a while the vanilla is joined by a creaminess that I guess is the marron or chestnut, which pushes the vetiver out of the way for prominence. A metallic green note starts to sparkle on my skin. It’s oily and slightly mentholated. I really like the way that this fragrance shifts. It manages to be comforting and quirky at the same time – exactly my kind of thing.

And this is only just in the first half hour. Something funny happens then, in that the metallic note went into blood territory like the smell of mince meat. Metallic and meaty but only in undertones with the vetiver going a bit more feral and funky. It might sound off-putting but it joins the scent bubble as an enhancement not an outlier.

PDI

Did you notice that there are some ambers in the notes? Well they come out around the 3 hour mark bringing with them a dry but cool incense. Myrrh is a favourite of mine, no so much opoponax but they are both in trace but distinct amounts. Even after 6 hours, Fat Electrician has slightly split personality spots on my skin. One place smells woody, another sticky & sweet. It is this variation that keeps me interested.

The three main notes in Fat Electrician are: vetiver, vanilla, myrrh. Interesting features, the oily green + bloody metallics, the way the vetiver goes from dry to dirty, and the juxtaposition between the chewy gourmand notes and bone dry ambers. It’s got a great longevity of 8+ hours but most of the interesting stuff happens in the first hour.

PDI

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies and EauMG
LuckyScent has $90/50ml and Samples

What a great perfume!

Have you tried Fat Electrician before? What do you think?

Till next time,

Tina G

You Or Someone Like You GIVEAWAY WINNERS

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Portia

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Hey Hey Crew,

Thanks to ELdO and Chandler Burr for their incredible generosity. Good luck in the giveaway.

Portia xx

You Or Someone Like You GIVEAWAY WINNERS

LuckyScent has it from $52/30ml + Samples

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

This week there will be 10 winners who will receive:
1 x 2ml decant of You Or Someone Like You by Etat Libre d’Orange
P&H Anywhere in the world

HOUSEKEEPING

Entries Closed Sunday 16th April 2017 10pm Australian EdsT
Winners will be chosen by random.org

Jane

JackieB

Susan Farber

Nilam5688

Neva

Koyel

Kate Apted

Jaybee

Fazal

Gina

The winners will have till Sunday 23rd April 2017 to get in touch (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with their address or the prize will go to someone else.
No responsibility taken for lost or damaged goods in transit

New York Intense by Patricia de Nicolai for Nicolai Parfumeur Createur 2014

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Anne-Marie

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Hi all!

Have you ever sold or given away a perfume, only to regret it later? I bet you have!

I once re-homed a 5ml decant of New York by Nicolai Parfumeur Createur. This was the original EDT version, not the Intense (EDP) which came out in 2014. I liked the citrusy and aromatic aspect, but something about the spices bothered me. It felt very dry and scratchy and, well, hot … like a spice market on a hot day. It was like the perfume was burning into my skin.

I had no regrets giving it away until about two years ago when, having smelled a lot of other fragrance in the meantime, I got curious. What did that stuff smell like again? I was a bit too lazy to act on this question, but I brooded on it all the same.

Finally I’ve had the chance to snap up a large decant, this time of the Intense.

New York Intense by Nicolai Parfumeur Createur 2014

New York Intense by Patricia de Nicolai

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Bergamot, lemon, cloves, thyme, cinnamon, black pepper, pimento, oakmoss, vetiver, amber.

New York Intense arrived today and although I’ve only had it on a few hours, I’m delighted with the re-acquaintance. Citrus and herbaceous notes are as intriguing as ever, but the spices seem a bit less prominent, allowing the smooth ambery base to make itself felt. Maybe because of this, the fragrance seems less solidly masculine than I remember. A lot of Fragranctica readers detect oakmoss. Really? I don’t get any at all. But I’ll see how things go over more wearings. I definitely get a subtle whiff of vanilla, which I like. Also, the longevity is better.

PDI

This is how the Intense strikes me. I can’t do a direct comparison of the two versions but if you have, do comment.

For various reasons, good reasons, we prune our collections to share them, spray forward, or to create space and raise a few dollars for other stuff. Perhaps we keep a sample for reference, although I admit I’ve never been that organised.

I don’t think I’ve ever had any terrible regrets, just a small sense of loss occasionally. After all, there’s a good chance that the lost one will find its way back to you if it is meant to be, as it was in this case for me.

WikiCommons

Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies
LuckyScent has $62/30ml
Surrender To Chance has samples from $5/ml

So what about you? Have you managed to reclaim some gems you had let go? How did it work out?
Until next time everyone, keep spritzing!
Anne-Marie

Naja by Vero Kern for Vero Profumo 2017

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 28 Comments

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Val the Cookie Queen

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Salutations APJ

It might be fair to say that Vero Kern considers NAJA to be the jewel in her superb collection of fragrances. A triumph celebrating ten years of the .vero.profumo. perfume house. This is no mean feat in an age of disposable scents and the ‘here today, gone tomorrow, and forgotten’ releases. Behind the facade of promising pictures, engaging copy, and olfactive promises from hell to breakfast, this is one bitch of a business to be involved in.

I have observed the pleasure and the pain in watching Vero bringing NAJA to life. It is the inclusion of a small part of Vero Kern´s soul in each of her perfumes that give them their strength and vitality. How can one create with no heart?

The origin of NAJA is the Sanskrit NĀGA, pronounced with a hard “g”, meaning snake. NAJA is the genus of venomous snakes known as cobras. Vero took the attributes of these serpents as the inspiration for her jubilee creation, with their embodiment of two opposing symbols. Healing and death, order and chaos, life and destruction. Shamanism is a practice that involves the practitioner reaching an altered state of consciousness, a trance, to practice divination and healing. Tobacco is considered to be one of the shamans’ most powerful drugs and is found in many of their rituals.

Naja by Vero Kern for Vero Profumo 2017

Naja: Vero Profumo 10 Year Jubilee Scent: Floral Tobacco

Tobacco absolute. Linden blossom. Osmanthus absolute. Melon. A combination of contradictory elements.

GREEN, FLORAL AND TROPICAL! Let´s think South America, Caribbean, New Orleans. NAJA opens with a remarkable lime green surge, which is made up of Vero´s own citrus accord, including both neroli oil and bergamot. The neroli is sweet, and somewhat metallic with a green and piquant dimension, the bergamot both zesty and floral. Spices in the background, enhancing the lushness. Continuing the idea of contradiction the linden adds a bright floral as well as a honeyed shading, the osmanthus a flowery suede. As a consequence of Vero Kern´s understanding as both an aromatologist and aromatherapist, the tobacco absolute spreads its aromatic, golden and therapeutic warmth, and depth of character throughout NAJA.

“Take me in tender woman
Take me in, for heaven´s sake
Take me in tender woman,” sighed the snake
“I saved you,” cried the woman
“And you´ve bitten me, but why?
You know your bite is poisonous and now I`m going to die”
“Oh shut up, silly woman,” said the reptile with a grin
“You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in …..”
The Snake. Written by Oscar Brown Junior. Sung by Al Wilson.

I am indebted to Vero for having been allowed on the NAJA journey over the last two years, with all of its ups and downs.

Further reading: Bonkers About Perfume and A Bottled Rose
LuckyScent will have Naja when it comes in

have you tried any of the Vero Profumo scents yet? Have a favourite?

Jubilant Bussis
CQ

Iris Fauve by Marie Salamagne for Atelier des Ors 2017

/ australianperfumejunkiescom / 14 Comments

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Portia

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Hey there Niche Nerds,

Atelier des Ors is one of Ainslie Walkers fave modern houses. While she was writing regularly for APJ I knew she would grab the newbies and give us a post about them. It meant there was a house I could totally ignore. So it was really fun at Esxence to meet New Zealand born blogger Megan from St Maxime, who also does PR for the company, so she could personally take me through the range. While I was there with Pia and Nick and I got Fume Royalty’s blow by blow account of why the scents are so good as well as the PR spin.

Iris Fauve by Atelier des Ors 2017

Iris Fauve by Marie Salamagne

Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, cinnamon, iris
Heart: Patchouli, Haitian vetiver, cypriol oil or nagarmotha
Base: Myrrh, musk, labdanum, liatris

Iris! the opening of Iris Fauve is that cool, crisp, cardboard and autumn air cleanness that I associate with the best and most beautiful iris-centric scents. Slight citrus and patchouli background noise and a lightly salted grassy green vetiver but iris above all.

My mind is throwing me pictures of the layers of puff pastry, as if as I go down into the heart of the fragrance there are tiny, wafer thin layers of iris root with warm scented air rushing over them that create this comfortable, cosy iris scent. Light enough to capture the Asian market yet full enough to satisfy me Iris Fauve seems to have depth and breathtaking lift.

After the first 15 minutes Iris fauve seems to melt into my skin and become one with my fleshy humanity, a welcome whisper of beauty lying just above the skin. Here it seems to have a leatheriness too, hints of Cuir d’Ange and Cuir de Lancome, those softly and elegantly produced well loved gloves.

People that I respect are saying that this is an iris masterpiece, while I won’t go that far I think if you have previously found yourself iris-averse then maybe this treatment could change your mind. I get zero of the bread/carrot/earth on my skin that iris so often throws.

Flickr

Further reading: Colognoisseur and Non Blonde
Peony Melbourne carries the range
Surrender To Chance has samples from $4.25/0.5ml

Do you know the Atelier des Ors fragrance house? What are your favourite Iris perfumes?
Portia xx